When my first novel was published my mother was in a midtown bookstore busily carrying stacks of it to the front display table - nobody dared to stop her - when suddenly, her task was interrupted by a celebrity sighting.
She'd spotted Dustin Hoffman, browsing in the fiction department.
There wasn't even a thought process involved in what happened next - just an instinctive move by my mother, as natural as a shark reacting to the scent of blood.
Poor Dustin never even saw the fin in the water, rushing his way.
"Excuse me, Mr. Hoffman!" she said, startling the actor as she shoved a copy of "Shepherd Avenue" into his hands. "This is my son's first novel and you really should consider it for your next movie!"
Hoffman stood there slack-jawed as my mother moved on. No need to linger, or chit-chat, or ask for an autograph. Mission accomplished.
And the mission is always the same for Terry Sullivan Carillo:
What can I do next to help my family?
My sisters and I appreciate it, Mom. Not that it always goes smoothly.
When I was a senior in high school I was taking the garbage out one day when I noticed an unopened piece of mail at the bottom of the pail. It turned out to be a recruitment letter addressed to me, from the United States Army.
This was while the Vietnam war was happening. My mother had thrown it out before I could see it.
I was enraged, the way only a 17-year-old boy can be enraged. I screamed at her. How dare she do such a thing, treating me like a little kid! Interfering with my personal mail! What if I wanted to join the army?
(Note: I didn't want to join, and the war ended before I turned 18.)
My mother let me rant and rave, and when I was through an amazing thing happened.
She apologized. I knew she wasn't really sorry for what she'd done, but she apologized anyway.
That takes a big person. My mother - who's around five feet tall, if she stands on a dictionary - is a big person. Maybe the biggest person I know.
She's upbeat, she's energetic, and she greets each day as the gift she knows it to be.
She's had more than her share of health issues, but like an Irish middleweight taking a beating in the late rounds she always insists she's okay, and manages to throw the winning haymaker time and again.
If she had a motto, it would be: Don't stop this fight!
Which is what this life is, after all. A sweet, endless battle to keep going, keep trying, no matter what stands in your way.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I think you've got a few bouts left in you.
Which reminds me - when are you going to follow up on that Dustin Hoffman thing? Come on, Mah, it's been thirty years! This is no time to start coasting!
Charlie Carillo is a novelist and a TV producer. His website is www.charliecarillo.co
(photo courtesy of Jamie Sutherland)
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.